The present invention relates to apparatus for unloading bulk, material-carrying cars such as railroad hopper cars and the like, and it relates more particularly to improvements in unloading apparatus of the type shown in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,570 granted Sept. 15, 1970, wherein a movable platform is supported on the free ends of lifting arms which are pivoted to a fixed frame at the unloading station. One end of a boot or tubular chute for receiving the material as it flows from the outlet of the car is fastened to the platform, so that when the lifting arms are swung upwardly by a power cylinder the movable platform and boot are raised into engagement with the discharge outlet of the car in order to connect the boot thereto and to hold it in sealing engagement therewith.
In installations of this type which are designed to receive material from hopper cars having dual discharge outlets, a pair of coupling frames are supported on the lift platform so that they can move horizontally into alignment with the outlets on the cars before being raised into engagement with them. The present invention provides an improved way of moving the coupling frames into alignment with these outlets.
An object of the invention is to make the two coupling frames move in unison in opposite directions so that when one is moved, either manually or by a power cylinder, the other will move a corresponding amount in the opposite direction.